Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor gets free Power of Shadow DLC

The largely excellent Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor grew a little bit bigger and darker today, with the release of Power of Shadow—a free DLC pack that lets players step into the skin of the Black Hand of Sauron.

The Power of Shadow DLC includes a playable Black Hand skin, as well as three new Epic Runes: "One With Nature," conferring immunity to poison attacks from Uruk Captains or Ghuls; "Ascendant," which doubles the focus time for slow-motion ranged combat; and "Elven Grace," an increased defense that cuts enemy damage in half.

The DLC is available now on Steam to all owners of Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, and in case you missed it the first time around, it's free. And while WBIE doesn't seem to have released any Black Handed screens, Steam user TrooperCandidate has, and you can lay your eyes upon them right here.

And for those who don't yet have Shadow of Mordor, the good news continues: Over the next couple of days, Bundle Stars is offering the game for 33 percent off its regular price, taking it down to $33. Not bad for a game we called "the best Lord of the Rings-based game to date."

Andy covers the day-to-day happenings in the big, wide world of PC gaming—the stuff we call "news." In his off hours, he wishes he had time to play the 80-hour RPGs and immersive sims he used to love so much.